Pride, Prejudice and World of Warcraft
by Liosliath
Summary: A mashup of Austen and WoW using Austen's original text with a few changes to verbiage to create a raiding world full of manners.
1. Chapter 1

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single tank in possession of a good GearScore, must be in want of a raid team.

However little known the feelings or views of such a tank may be on his first entering a server, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding guilds, that he is considered the rightful property of some one or other of their raiding teams.

"My dear Mr. Bennet," said his lady to him one day, "have you heard that our server was selected for free incoming transfers?"

Mr. Bennet replied that he had not.

"But it is," returned she; "for Mrs. Long has just been here, and she told me all about it."

Mr. Bennet made no answer.

"Do you not want to know which servers were offered the transfers?" cried his wife impatiently.

"_You_ want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it."

This was invitation enough.

"Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Uther was one of the servers offered the transfer and a good tank of large GearScore rating may be interested in transferring; that he rolled an alt on Monday to see the place, and was so much delighted with it, that he and some of his friends are to make the transfer by the end of next week."

"What is his name?"

"Bingley."

"Does he come with or without a healer?"

"Oh! Without a healer, my dear, to be sure! A single tank of large GearScore; four or five thousand. What a fine thing for our healers and dps!"

"How so? How can it affect them?"

"My dear Mr. Bennet," replied his wife, "how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his tanking for one of them."

"Is that his design in transferring here?"

"Design! Nonsense, how can you talk so! But it is very likely that he _may_ app to our guild, and therefore you must send him a tell as soon as he comes."

"I see no occasion for that. You and the dps may go, or you may send them by themselves, which perhaps will be still better, for as you are as well geared as any of them, Mr. Bingley may like you the best of the party."

"My dear, you flatter me. I certainly _have_ had my share of leet pwnage, but I do not pretend to be anything extraordinary now. When a woman has helped to gear five other players, she ought to give over thinking of her own leetness."

"In such cases, a woman has not often much leetness to think of."

"But, my dear, you must indeed send a tell to Mr. Bingley when he comes into the server."

"It is more than I engage for, I assure you."

"But consider your guildies. Only think what an establishment it would be for one of them. Sir William and Lady Lucas are determined to talk to him, merely on that account, for in general, you know, they think they are too uber. Indeed you must talk to him, for it will be impossible for _us_ to send him tells if you do not."

"You are over-scrupulous, surely. I dare say Mr. Bingley will be very glad to hear from you; and I will send an in-game mail to assure him of my hearty consent to his tanking for whichever he chooses of the guild; though I must throw in a good word for my little Lizzy."

"I desire you will do no such thing. Lizzy is not a bit better than the others; and I am sure she is not half so leet as Jane, nor half so good-humoured as Lydia. But you are always giving _her_ the preference."

"They have none of them much to recommend them," replied he; "they are all silly and ignorant like other casuals; but Lizzy has something more of quickness than the rest."

"Mr. Bennet, how _can_ you abuse your own guildies in such a way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion for my poor nerves."

"You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these last twenty years at least."

"Ah, you do not know what I suffer."

"But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young tanks of four thousand GearScore points come into the server."

"It will be no use to us, if twenty such should come, since you will not send them tells."

"Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty, I will send tells to them all."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Mr. Bennet was among the earliest of those who sent a tell to Mr. Bingley. He had always intended to speak to him, though to the last always assuring his wife that he should not; and till the evening after the conversation was had she had no knowledge of it. It was then disclosed in the following manner. Observing his favorite dps employed in gemming and enchanting a helm, he suddenly addressed her with:

"I hope Mr. Bingley will like it, Lizzy."

"We are not in a way to know _what_ Mr. Bingley likes," said Mrs. Bennet resentfully, "since we are not to raid with him."

"But you forget," said Elizabeth, "that we shall meet him at the 25-man raids, and that Mrs. Long promised to introduce him."

"I do not believe Mrs. Long will do any such thing. She has two 10 man raids of her own. She is a selfish, hypocritical woman, and I have no opinion of her."

"No more have I," said Mr. Bennet; "and I am glad to find that you do not depend on her serving you."

Mrs. Bennet deigned not to make any reply, but, unable to contain herself, began scolding one of the dps.

"Don't keep spamming guild chat so, Kitty, for Heaven's sake! Have a little compassion on my nerves. You tear them to pieces."

"Kitty has no discretion in her spam," said her father; "she times it ill."

"I dun no wut u mean," replied Kitty fretfully. "When is ur next raid, Lizzy?"

"To-morrow fortnight."

"Aye, so it is," cried her mother, "and Mrs. Long does not come back till the day before; so it will be impossible for her to introduce him, for she will not have raided with him herself."

"Then, my dear, you may have the advantage of your friend, and introduce Mr. Bingley to _her_."

"Impossible, Mr. Bennet, impossible, when I have not raided with him myself; how can you be so teasing?"

"I honour your circumspection. A fortnight's acquaintance is certainly very little. One cannot know what a man really is by the end of a fortnight. But if _we_ do not venture somebody else will; and after all, Mrs. Long and her dps must stand their chance; and, therefore, as she will think it an act of kindness, if you decline the office, I will take it on myself."

The guildies stared at their GM. Mrs. Bennet said only, "Nonsense, nonsense!"

"What can be the meaning of that emphatic exclamation?" cried he. "Do you consider the forms of introduction, and the stress that is laid on them, as nonsense? I cannot quite agree with you _there_. What say you, Mary? For you are a young lady of deep reflection, I know, and read great books and make extracts."

Mary would have wished to say something sensible, but was AFK.

"While Mary is adjusting her ideas," he continued, "let us return to Mr. Bingley."

"I am sick of Mr. Bingley," cried his wife.

"I am sorry to hear _that_; but why did not you tell me that before? If I had known as much this morning I certainly would not have sent him a tell. It is very unlucky; but as I have actually invited him to our raids, we cannot escape the acquaintance now."

The astonishment of the guild was just what he wished; that of Mrs. Bennet perhaps surpassing the rest; though, when the first tumult of joy was over, she began to declare that it was what she had expected all the while.

"How good it was in you, my dear Mr. Bennet! But I knew I should persuade you at last. I was sure you loved your guild too well to neglect such an acquaintance. Well, how pleased I am! and it is such a good joke, too, that you should have talked to him this morning and never said a word about it till now."

"Now, Kitty, you may spam guild chat as much as you choose," said Mr. Bennet; and, after he spoke, he logged off the server, fatigued with the raptures of his wife.

"What an excellent GM you have!" said she, when he had logged off the Vent server also. "I do not know how you will ever make him amends for his kindness; or me, either, for that matter. At our time of life it is not so pleasant, I can tell you, to be making new acquaintances every day; but for your sakes, we would do anything. Lydia, though you _are_ the lowest geared, I dare say Mr. Bingley will want you to heal him at the next raid."

"Oh!" said Lydia stoutly, "I am not afraid; for though I _am_ the least geared, I play the most OP class."

The rest of the evening was spent in conjecturing how soon he would send Mr. Bennet a tell and determining what instance they should ask him to tank.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Not all that Mrs. Bennet, however, with the assistance the rest of the guild, could ask on the subject, was sufficient to draw from the GM any satisfactory description of Mr. Bingley. They attacked him in various ways—with barefaced questions, ingenious suppositions, and distant surmises; but he eluded the skill of them all, and they were at last obliged to accept the second-hand intelligence of someone from their friends list, Lady Lucas. Her report was highly favourable. Sir William had been delighted with him. He was quite young, wonderfully geared, extremely agreeable, and, to crown the whole, he meant to be at the next raid with a large party. Nothing could be more delightful! To be fond of raiding was a certain step towards aping to a raiding guild; and very lively hopes of Mr. Bingley's GearScore were entertained.

"If I can but see one of my guildies happily raiding with Mr. Bingley full time," said Mrs. Bennet to her husband, "and all the others equally able to get raid invites, I shall have nothing to wish for."

In a few days Mr. Bingley sent Mr. Bennet a tell and chatted about ten minutes with him while idling in Dalaran. He had entertained hopes of being asked to tank a random heroic for Mr. Bennet's guildies, of whose ability he had heard much; but he spoke only to the GM. The guildies were somewhat more fortunate, for they had the advantage of ascertaining from inspections on the armory that he wore a tier 10 breastplate and rode an epic mount.

An invitation to instance was soon afterwards dispatched; and already had Mrs. Bennet planned the instances that were to do credit to her guildies and their abilities, when an answer arrived which deferred it all. Mr. Bingley was obliged to be in offline for Real Life stuff, and, consequently, unable to accept the honour of their invitation, etc. Mrs. Bennet was quite disconcerted. She could not imagine what business he could have in RL so soon after his arrival on the server; and she began to fear that he might be always flying about from one place to another, and never settled down to raid as he ought to be. Lady Lucas quieted her fears a little by starting the idea of his being gone for Real Life only to get a large party of his RL to server transfer; and a report soon followed that Mr. Bingley was to bring twelve dps and seven healers with him to the assembly. The guildies grieved over such a number of dps, but were comforted the day before the ball by hearing, that instead of twelve he brought only six with him from Uther —and they were mostly family who had no skills to speak of. And when the party entered the raid it consisted of only five altogether—Mr. Bingley, three dps and another tank.

Mr. Bingley was well geared and able to type out full thoughts with proper grammar; he had a pleasant Night Elf character, and easy, unaffected manners. His dps were all clothies, with an air of decided fashion. The tank, Mr. Darcy, soon drew the attention of the raid by his fine, tall Draenie Paladin's handsome features, noble mien, and the report which was in general circulation within five minutes after his entrance, of his having a GearScore of ten thousand. The off tank pronounced him to be completely overpowered, the dps and healres declared he was much better geared than Mr. Bingley, and he was looked at with great admiration for about half the evening, till his manners gave a disgust which turned the tide of his popularity; for he was discovered to be proud; to be above his company, and above being pleased; and not all his large GearScore could then save him from having a most forbidding, disagreeable reputation, and being unworthy to be compared with his friend.

Mr. Bingley had soon made himself acquainted with all the principal people in the raid; he was lively and unreserved, marked every pull, was angry that the instance was defeated so early, and talked of taking a raid into ICC. Such amiable qualities must speak for themselves. What a contrast between him and his friend! Mr. Darcy tanked without marking, declined being sociable in Vent or in chat, and spent the rest of the evening in sullenly chain pulling whole rooms, speaking occasionally to one of his own party. His character was decided. He was the proudest, most disagreeable tank on the server, and everybody hoped that he would never raid with them again. Amongst the most violent against him was Mrs. Bennet, whose dislike of his general behaviour was sharpened into particular resentment by his having slighted one of her dps.

Elizabeth had been obliged, by the plethora of dps needing this or that drop from a certain boss, to cycle out for two boss fights; and during part of that time, Mr. Darcy had been having a conversation with Mr. Bingley, who took a brief AFK to press his friend to tank the next boss.

"Come, Darcy," said he, "I must have you raid. I hate to see you standing about by yourself in this stupid manner. You had much better raid."

"I certainly shall not. You know how I detest it, unless I am facing challenging content. At such a raid as this it would be insupportable. We've downed this content too many times before for it to pose any challenge, except that this dps is incapable of pulling any decent numbers and the healers are just barely managing to keep anyone alive."

"I would not be so fastidious as you are," cried Mr. Bingley, "for a kingdom! Upon my honour, I never raided with as many pleasant people in my life! And the healers are doing a fine job."

"_You_ have the only decent healer in the raid," said Mr. Darcy, looking at Jane.

"Oh! She is the best healer I ever beheld! But there is one of her guidlies sitting out for this fight, who is very able, and I dare say very agreeable."

"Which do you mean?" and at Bingley's direction was soon inspecting Elizabeth, till seeing that she also had him selected, he clicked away and coldly said: "She is tolerable, but not geared enough to raid with _me_; I am in no humour at present to give consequence to dps who are cycled out of a raid so frequently. You had better return to the raid and enjoy it if you can, for you are wasting your time with me."

Mr. Bingley followed his advice. Mr. Darcy AFK'ed; and Elizabeth remained with no very cordial feelings toward him. She told the story, however, with great spirit among the guild; for she had a lively, playful disposition, which delighted in anything ridiculous.

The evening altogether passed off pleasantly to the whole guild. Mrs. Bennet had seen her best healer much admired by the new party. Mr. Bingley had complimented her twice, and she had been distinguished by his clothies posting her Recount numbers. Jane was as much gratified by this as Mrs. Bennet could be, though in a quieter way. Elizabeth felt Jane's pleasure. Mary had heard herself mentioned to some of the new transfers as the most accomplished hybrid in the guild; and Catherine and Lydia had been fortunate enough never to get cycled out of the raid, which was all that they had yet learnt to care for at a raid. They were, therefore, in good spirits in guild chat. Mr. Bennet logged on soon after the raid had ended and on the present occasion he had a good deal of curiosity as to the events of an evening which had raised such splendid expectations. He had rather hoped that his wife's views on the stranger would be disappointed; but he soon found out that he had a different story to hear.

"Oh! my dear Mr. Bennet," as soon as he was in Vent, "we have had a most delightful evening, a most excellent raid. I wish you had been there. Jane was so admired, nothing could be like it. Everybody said how well she healed; and Mr. Bingley thought her quite leet, and complimented her twice! Only think of _that_, my dear; he actually complimented her twice! and she was the only creature in the raid that he complimented a second time. First of all, he said something nice about Charlotte. I was so vexed to see him stand up for her! But, however, he did not admire her much at all; indeed, nobody can, you know; and he seemed quite struck with Jane as she was healing the raid. So he inquired what spec she was, and asked her to heal him for the next two fights. Then he asked Miss King, before asking Maria Lucas, and then it was Jane again, and on _Saph_—"

"If he had had any compassion for _me_," cried her husband impatiently, "he would not have asked for different healers half so much! For God's sake, say no more of his healers. O that he had been disconnected on the first boss!"

"Oh! my dear, I am quite delighted with him. He is so excessively well geared! And his friends are charming dps. I never in my life saw anything more elegant than their t10 robes. I dare say the gems upon Mrs. Hurst's robe—"

Here she was interrupted again. Mr. Bennet protested against any description of finery. She was therefore obliged to seek another branch of the subject, and related, with much bitterness of spirit and some exaggeration, the shocking rudeness of Mr. Darcy.

"But I can assure you," she added, "that Lizzy does not lose much by not suiting _his_ fancy; for he is a most disagreeable, horrid tank, not at all worth pleasing. So high and so conceited that there was no enduring him! He walked here, and he walked there, fancying himself so very great! Not good enough to raid with! I wish you had been there, my dear, to have given him one of your set-downs. I quite detest the man."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

When Jane and Elizabeth were able to send tells, the former, who had been cautious in her praise of Mr. Bingley before, expressed to her friend just how very much she admired him.

"He is just what a tank ought to be," said she, "sensible, good-humoured, lively; and I never saw such happy manners!—so much ease, with such perfect pulls!"

"He is also geared," replied Elizabeth, "which a tank ought likewise to be, if he possibly can. His character is thereby complete."

"I was very much flattered by his asking me to heal a second time. I did not expect such a compliment."

"Did not you? I did for you. But that is one great difference between us. Compliments always take _you_ by surprise, and _me_ never. What could be more natural than his asking you again? He could not help seeing that you were about five times as competent as every other healer in the room. No thanks to his gallantry for that. Well, he certainly is very agreeable, and I give you leave to like him. You have liked many a stupider tank."

"Dear Lizzy!"

"Oh! you are a great deal too apt, you know, to like people in general. You never see a fault in anybody. All the world are good and agreeable in your eyes. I never heard you speak ill of another player in your life."

"I would not wish to be hasty in censuring anyone; but I always speak what I think."

"I know you do; and it is _that_ which makes the wonder. With _your_ good sense, to be so honestly blind to the follies and nonsense of others! Affectation of candour is common enough—one meets with it everywhere. But to be candid without ostentation or design—to take the good of everybody's character and make it still better, and say nothing of the bad—belongs to you alone. And so you like this man's friends, too, do you? Their manners are not equal to his."

"Certainly not—at first. But they are very pleasing when you converse with them. One is to stay permanently with Mr. Bingley, and be his constant dps; and I am much mistaken if we shall not find a very charming friend in her."

Elizabeth listened in silence, but was not convinced; their behaviour at the raid had not been calculated to please in general; and with more quickness of observation and less pliancy of temper than Jane, and with a judgement too unassailed by any attention to herself, she was very little disposed to approve them. They were in fact very fine dps; not deficient in good humour when they were pleased, nor in the power of making themselves agreeable when they chose it, but proud and conceited. They were rather geared, had been educated at the finest online resources, had a fortune of twenty thousand gold, were in the habit of spending more than they ought at the AH, and of associating with raiders of rank, and were therefore in every respect entitled to think well of themselves, and meanly of others. They were of a respectable guild that had been top rated on Uther; a circumstance more deeply impressed on their memories than that their fortune had been acquired by gold buying.

Mr. Bingley inherited property to the amount of nearly a hundred thousand gold from his former GM, who had entirely too much time on his hands, and eventually grew bored and quit the game. Mr. Bingley intended to retain most of the fortune, and sometimes made choice of buying gear or enchants; but as he was now provided with good gear and the liberty of raiding, it was doubtful to many of those who best knew the easiness of his temper, whether he might not spend the remainder of his days raiding for gear, and leave off getting it by purchase.

His dps friends were anxious for his having all the best gear of his own; but, though he was now only established as a good tank, Caroline was by no means unwilling to preside as his foremost dps—nor was Mrs. Hurst, who had leveled with a man of more fashion than gear, less disposed to consider his gold as hers when it suited her. Mr. Bingley had not been of level cap for six months, when he was tempted by an accidental recommendation to look at a new server. He did look at it, and into it for half-an-hour—was pleased with the situation and the principal guilds, satisfied with what the forums said in its praise, and transferred immediately.

Between him and Darcy there was a very steady friendship, in spite of great opposition of character. Bingley was endeared to Darcy by the easiness, openness, and ductility of his temper, though no disposition could offer a greater contrast to his own, and though with his own he never appeared dissatisfied. On the strength of Darcy's shield, Bingley had the firmest reliance, and of his Judgement of Wisdom the highest opinion. In understanding, Darcy was the superior. Bingley was by no means deficient, but Darcy was clever. He was at the same time haughty, reserved, and fastidious, and his manners, though well-bred, were not inviting. In that respect his friend had greatly the advantage. Bingley was sure of being liked wherever he appeared, Darcy was continually giving offense.

The manner in which they spoke of the raid was sufficiently characteristic. Bingley had never met with more pleasant people or better healers in his life; everybody had been most kind and attentive to him; there had been no formality, no stiffness; he had soon felt acquainted with all the raid; and, as to Jane, he could not conceive an holy priest more beautiful. Darcy, on the contrary, had seen a collection of people in whom there was little gear and no skill, for none of whom he had felt the smallest interest, and from none received either attention or pleasure. Jane he acknowledged to be capable, but she over-healed too much.

His friends allowed it to be so—but still they admired her and liked her, and pronounced her to be a sweet girl, and one whom they would not object to run more instances with. Jane was therefore established as a sweet girl, and Mr. Bingley felt authorized by such commendation to think of her as he chose.

* * *

**Author's Note:** For those concerned, this will be updated about twice weekly. Once on the weekends and at random during the week. I am posting this to my WoW-centric blog where it's been a decent success, so FanFic will receive the updates on roughly the same schedule as the blog (although the blog may frequently be a day ahead). I am not the least bit opposed to sharing the url of my blog with those who are interested. Enjoy!


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Within a special channel was a guild with whom the Bennets were particularly intimate. Sir William Lucas had been formerly a noob in Stormwind, where he had made a tolerable fortune playing the AH, and risen to the honour of Knight-Captain by getting carried through Battle Grounds by better players than he was. The distinction had perhaps been felt too strongly. It had given him a disgust to his tradeskills, and to his residence in a small casual guild; and, in quitting them both, he had removed to a guild on the same server where the Bennets played, and began his own PvP guild, denominated from that period Lucas Pwnage, where he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and, unshackled world PvP by being on a PvE server, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. For, though elated by his rank, it did not render him a ganker; on the contrary, he was all attention to everybody. By nature inoffensive, friendly, and obliging, his being a GM had made him courteous.

Lady Lucas was a very good kind of woman, not too clever to be a valuable friend to Mrs. Bennet. They had several dedicated players. The eldest of them, a sensible, intelligent young woman, about twenty-seven, was Elizabeth's intimate friend.

That the two guilds should speak together in their private channel over a raid was absolutely necessary; and the morning after the raid brought them together to hear and to communicate.

"_You_ began the evening well, Charlotte," said Mrs. Bennet with civil self-command to the young woman. "_You_ were Mr. Bingley's first choice."

"Yes; but he seemed to like his second better."

"Oh! you mean Jane, I suppose, because he ask her to heal him twice. To be sure that _did_ seem as if he admired her—indeed I rather believe he _did_—I heard something about it—but I hardly know what—something about Mr. Robinson."

"Perhaps you mean what I overheard between him and Mr. Robinson; did not I mention it to you? Mr. Robinson's asking him how he liked our raids, and whether he did not think there were a great many capable raiders in the room, and _which_ he thought the most capable? and his answering immediately to the last question: 'Oh! Jane, beyond a doubt; there cannot be two opinions on that point.'"

"Upon my word! Well, that is very decided indeed—that does seem as if—but, however, it may all come to nothing, you know."

"_My_ overhearings were more to the purpose than _yours_, Eliza," said Charlotte. "Mr. Darcy is not so well worth listening to as his friend, is he?—poor Eliza!—to be only just _tolerable_."

"I beg you would not put it into Lizzy's head to be vexed by his ill-treatment, for he is such a disagreeable man, that it would be quite a misfortune to be liked by him. Mrs. Long told me last night that he went half-an-hour without once typing a word."

"Are you quite sure, ma'am?—is not there a little mistake?" said Jane. "I certainly saw Mr. Darcy saying something in raid chat."

"Aye—because she asked him at last how he liked the server, and he could not help answering her; but she said he seemed quite angry at being spoke to."

"Caroline told me," said Jane, "that he never says much, unless among his intimate acquaintances. With _them_ he is remarkably agreeable."

"I do not believe a word of it, my dear. If he had been so very agreeable, he would have talked to Mrs. Long. But I can guess how it was; everybody says that he is eat up with pride, and I dare say he had heard somehow that Mrs. Long does not have very much gold, and had come to the raid in a few quest blues."

"I do not mind his not talking to Mrs. Long," said Charlotte, "but I wish he had looked at Eliza's Recount numbers."

"Another time, Lizzy," said Mrs. Bennet, "I would not raid with _him_, if I were you."

"I believe, ma'am, I may safely promise you _never_ to raid with him."

"His pride," said Charlotte, "does not offend _me_ so much as pride often does, because there is an excuse for it. One cannot wonder that so very fine a tank, with GearScore, fortune, everything in his favour, should think highly of himself. If I may so express it, he has a _right_ to be proud."

"That is very true," replied Elizabeth, "and I could easily forgive _his_ pride, if he had not mortified _mine_."

"Pride," observed Mary, who piqued herself upon the solidity of her reflections, "is a very common failing, I believe. By all that I have ever read, I am convinced that it is very common indeed; that human nature is particularly prone to it, and that there are very few of us who do not cherish a feeling of self-complacency on the score of some quality or other, real or imaginary. Vanity and pride are different things, though the words are often used synonymously. A person may be proud without being vain. Pride relates more to our opinion of ourselves, vanity to what we would have others think of us."

"If I were as rich as Mr. Darcy," cried a young member of Lucas Pwnage, who did not much know anything about the game, "I should not care how proud I was. I would keep a pack of vanity pets, and drink a bottle of wine before every pull."

"Then you would drink a great deal more than you ought," said Mrs. Bennet; "and if I were to see you at it, I should remove you from the raid directly."

The boy protested that she should not; she continued to declare that she would, and the argument ended only when one of them went offline.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

The raiders of Longbourn soon waited on those of Netherfield. The visit was soon returned in due form. Jane's pleasing ability to keep them all alive through the worst of chain pulls grew on the goodwill of Mrs. Hurst and Caroline; and though the GM's wife was found to be intolerable, and the newer DPS not worth speaking to, a wish of being better acquainted with _them_ was expressed towards the two best geared. By Jane, this attention was received with the greatest pleasure, but Elizabeth still saw superciliousness in their treatment of everybody, hardly excepting even Jane, and could not like them; though their kindness to Jane, such as it was, had a value as arising in all probability from the influence of their main tank's admiration. It was generally evident whenever they instanced, that he _did_ admire her and to _her_ it was equally evident that Jane was yielding to the preference which she had begun to entertain for him from the first, and was in a way to be very much desirous of healing only him; but she considered with pleasure that it was not likely to be discovered by the server in general, since Jane united, with great strength of healing, a composure of temper and a uniform mana management ability which would guard her from the suspicions of the impertinent. She mentioned this to her friend Charlotte.

"It may perhaps be pleasant," replied Charlotte, "to be able to impose on the public in such a case; but it is sometimes a disadvantage to be so very guarded. If a healer conceals her affection with the same skill from the object of it, she may lose the opportunity of healing only him; and it will then be but poor consolation to believe the server equally in the dark. There is so much of gratitude or vanity in almost every attachment, that it is not safe to leave any to itself. We can all _begin_ freely—a slight preference is natural enough; but there are very few of us who have heart enough to be really dedicated to a tank without encouragement. In nine cases out of ten a healer had better show _more_ willingness to heal than she feels. Bingley likes Jane undoubtedly; but he may never do more than run heroics with her, if she does not help him on."

"But she does help him on, as much as her nature and mana pool will allow. If I can perceive her preference for healing him, he must be a simpleton, indeed, not to discover it too."

"Remember, Eliza, that he does not know Jane's disposition as you do."

"But if a healer is partial to a tank, and does not endeavour to conceal it, he must find it out."

"Perhaps he must, if he raids enough with her. But, though Bingley and Jane meet tolerably often, it is never for many hours together; and, as they always see each other in large mixed raids, it is impossible that every moment should be employed in Bingley watching his Recount to see who has healed him the most. Jane should therefore make the most of every boss fight in which she can command his attention. When she is secure of healing him through progression content, there will be more leisure for speaking of joining guilds as much as she chooses."

"Your plan is a good one," replied Elizabeth, "where nothing is in question but the desire of progression raiding, and if I were determined to get a geared tank, or any tank, I dare say I should adopt it. But these are not Jane's feelings; she is not acting by design. As yet, she cannot even be certain of the degree of her own regard nor of its reasonableness. She has known him only a fortnight. She healed four boss fights with him at Naxx; she saw him one morning in the bank at Dalaran, and has since healed him in random heroics four times. This is not quite enough to make her understand his tanking ability."

"Not as you represent it. Had she merely _healed_ him, she might only have discovered whether he had a good block rating; but you must remember that four heroics have also been spent together—and four heroics may do a great deal."

"Yes; these four heroics have enabled them to ascertain that they both like HoS better than Occulus; but with respect to any other leading characteristic, I do not imagine that much has been unfolded."

"Well," said Charlotte, "I wish Jane success with all my heart; and if she were recruited to his guild to-morrow, I should think she had as good a chance of happiness as if she were to be studying his gear and ratings for a twelvemonth. Happiness in raiding is entirely a matter of chance. If the dispositions of the parties are ever so well known to each other or ever so similar beforehand, it does not advance their felicity in the least. They always continue to grow sufficiently unlike afterwards to have their share of vexation and guild drama; and it is better to know as little as possible of the defects of the persons with whom you are to raid."

"You make me laugh, Charlotte; but it is not sound. You know it is not sound, and that you would never act in this way yourself."

Occupied in observing Mr. Bingley's attentions to Jane, Elizabeth was far from suspecting that she was herself becoming an object of some interest in the eyes of his friend. Mr. Darcy had at first scarcely allowed her to be geared; he had looked at her without admiration at the raid; and when they next met, he looked at her only to criticise. But no sooner had he made it clear to himself and his friends that she hardly had a good feature in her gearing choices, than he began to find it was rendered uncommonly intelligent by the throughput of her DPS. To this discovery succeeded some others equally mortifying. Though he had detected with a critical eye more than one failure of perfect symmetry in her gemming choices, he was forced to acknowledge her enchants to be thought out and pleasing; and in spite of his asserting that her DPS numbers were not those of the leet raiding world, he was caught by their steadiness – she did not fluctuate as wildly as many DPS he had seen. Of this she was perfectly unaware; to her he was only the tank who made himself agreeable nowhere, and who had not thought her geared enough to raid with.

He began to wish to know more of her, and as a step towards conversing with her himself, attended to her conversation with others. His doing so drew her notice. It was at Sir William Lucas's, where a large raid were assembled for a pre-made.

"What does Mr. Darcy mean," said she to Charlotte, "by listening to my conversation with Colonel Forster?"

"That is a question which Mr. Darcy only can answer."

"But if he does it any more I shall certainly let him know that I see what he is about. He has a very satirical eye, and if I do not begin by being impertinent myself, I shall soon grow afraid of him."

On his approaching them soon afterwards, though without seeming to have any intention of speaking, Charlotte defied her friend to mention such a subject to him; which immediately provoking Elizabeth to do it, she turned to him and said:

"Did you not think, Mr. Darcy, that I expressed myself uncommonly well just now, when I was teasing Colonel Forster to capture the Blacksmith?"

"With great energy; but it is always a subject which makes a DPS energetic."

"You are severe on us."

"It will be _her_ turn soon to be teased," said Charlotte. "I am going to head for the mine, Eliza, and you know what follows."

"You are a very strange creature by way of a friend!—always wanting me to capture objectives no one cares for! If my vanity had taken a turn for odd achievements, you would have been invaluable; but as it is, I would really rather not get ganked trying to capture an objective nearly alone." On Charlotte's persevering, however, she added, "Very well, if it must be so, it must." And gravely glancing at Mr. Darcy, "There is a fine old saying, which everybody here is of course familiar with: 'Get the blacksmith or lumber mill, ffs!' But I shall do as Lucas Pwnage commands."

Her performance was pleasing, though by no means capital. After a death or two, and before she could reply to the entreaties of several that she would help with the farm, she was eagerly succeeded at the mine by her guild mate Mary, who having, in consequence of being the only one in the guild who enjoyed PvP, worked hard for knowledge and accomplishments, was always impatient for display.

Mary had neither genius nor much resilience; and though vanity had given her application, it had given her likewise a pedantic air and conceited manner, which would have injured a higher degree of excellence than she had reached. Elizabeth, easy and unaffected, had been encouraged with much more pleasure, though not performing half so well; and Mary, at the end of a long duel, was glad to purchase praise and gratitude by throwing a few heals, at the request of the DPS in her party, who, with some of the Lucases, and two or three PUGs, joined eagerly in defending the stables at one end of the battleground.

Mr. Darcy stood near them in silent indignation at such a mode of passing the evening, to the exclusion of all attempts at winning any of the battlegrounds, and was too much engrossed by his thoughts to perceive that Sir William Lucas was sending him tells, till Sir William thus began:

"What a charming amusement for young people this is, Mr. Darcy! There is nothing like PvP after all. I consider it as one of the first refinements of polished guilds."

"Certainly, sir; and it has the advantage also of being in vogue amongst the less polished guilds of the world. Every noob can queue for it."

Sir William only used a smile emote. "Your friend performs delightfully," he continued after a pause, on seeing Bingley charge into the fray; "and I doubt not that you are an adept in the science yourself, Mr. Darcy."

"You saw me raid at Naxx, I believe, sir."

"Yes, indeed, and received no inconsiderable pleasure from the sight. Do you often raid at Ulduar?"

"Not any more, sir."

"Do you not think it would be a proper compliment to the place?"

"It is a compliment which I never pay to any place if I can avoid it."

"You have done all the hard modes, I conclude?"

Mr. Darcy said he had.

"I had once had some thought of doing hard modes myself—for I am fond of superior raids; but I did not feel quite certain that the focus required would agree with Lady Lucas."

He paused in hopes of an answer; but his companion was not disposed to make any; and Elizabeth at that instant moving towards them, he was struck with the action of doing a very gallant thing, and called out to her over Vent:

"My dear Miss Eliza, why are you not attacking? Mr. Darcy, you must allow me to present this young lady to you as a very desirable partner. You cannot refuse to attack, I am sure when so much capable off-healing is before you." And he would have sent her and Mr. Darcy who, though extremely surprised, was not unwilling to receive Elizabeth's healing, when she instantly veered her mount away, and said with some discomposure to Sir William:

"Indeed, sir, I have not the least intention of attacking. I entreat you not to suppose that I moved this way in order to beg for a partner."

Mr. Darcy, with grave propriety, requested to be allowed the honour of assaulting the lumber mill with her, but in vain. Elizabeth was determined; nor did Sir William at all shake her purpose by his attempt at persuasion.

"You excel so much in PvP, Miss Eliza, that it is cruel to deny me the happiness of seeing you; and though this gentleman dislikes the amusement in general, he can have no objection, I am sure, to oblige us for one half-hour."

"Mr. Darcy is all politeness," said Elizabeth, smiling.

"He is, indeed; but, considering the inducement, my dear Miss Eliza, we cannot wonder at his complaisance—for who would object to such a partner?"

Elizabeth laughed over Vent, and turned away. Her resistance had not injured her with the gentleman, and he was thinking of her with some complacency, when thus accosted by Caroline in tells:

"I can guess the subject of your reverie."

"I should imagine not."

"You are considering how insupportable it would be to pass many evenings in this manner—in such society; and indeed I am quite of your opinion. I was never more annoyed! The insipidity, and yet the noise—the nothingness, and yet the self-importance of all those people! What would I give to hear your strictures on them!"

"Your conjecture is totally wrong, I assure you. My mind was more agreeably engaged. I have been meditating on the very great pleasure which raiding with capable hybrids can bestow."

Caroline immediately desired he would tell her what hybrid had the credit of inspiring such reflections. Mr. Darcy replied with great intrepidity:

"Miss Elizabeth."

"Miss Elizabeth!" repeated Caroline. "I am all astonishment. How long has she been such a favourite?—and pray, when am I to wish you joy?"

"That is exactly the question which I expected you to ask. A dps's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to dependency, from dependency to core raiding spots, in a moment. I knew you would be wishing me joy."

"Nay, if you are serious about it, I shall consider the matter is absolutely settled. You will be having a charming alliance, indeed; and, of course, she will always be at every raid with you."

He listened to her with perfect indifference while she chose to entertain herself in this manner; and as his composure convinced her that all was safe, her wit flowed long.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 **

Mr. Bennet's guild consisted almost entirely in a list of nearly 200 names, which, unfortunately for his raiders, was alts and noobs; and Mrs. Bennet, though ample for her situation in the guild, could but ill supply the deficiency of his. She was the recruitment officer and as like to scare potential recruits away as snare them.

She had a sister married to a Mr. Phillips, who had been a clerk to their father - they were both casual players, and a brother settled on another server in a respectable guild.

The Auction House in Ironforge was frequently visited; it was the most convenient city for the raiders, who were usually tempted thither three or four times a day, to pay their duty to the auctioneers and mailboxes. The two least geared of the raiders, Catherine and Lydia, were particularly frequent in these attentions; their minds were more vacant than the other raider's, and when nothing better offered, a port to Ironforge was necessary to amuse their morning hours and furnish conversation for the evening; and however bare of good deals the economy in general might be, they always contrived to pretend they had gotten one. At present, indeed, they were well supplied both with news and happiness by the recent arrival of a raiding guild - The Meryon Militia by name - in the server; it was to run hard modes and 25 man content and there might be opportunities for pugging from them.

Their visits to Mrs. Phillips were now productive of the most interesting intelligence. Every day added something to their knowledge of the officers' names and connections. Their best tanks were not long a secret, and at length they began to know the officers themselves. Mr. Phillips visited them all, and this opened to his guild mates a store of felicity unknown before. They could talk of nothing but officers; and Mr. Bingley's large GearScore, the mention of which gave animation to Mrs. Bennet, was worthless in their eyes when opposed to the power of a raiding guild's officer.

After listening one morning to their effusions on this subject, Mr. Bennet coolly observed:

"From all that I can collect by your manner of talking, you must be two of the silliest girls in the guild. I have suspected it some time, but I am now convinced."

Catherine was disconcerted, and made no answer; but Lydia, with perfect indifference, continued to express her admiration of Officer Carter, and her hope of seeing him in the course of the day, as he was going to be offline the next day.

"I am astonished, my dear," said Mrs. Bennet, "that you should be so ready to think your own guildies silly. If I wished to think slightingly of anybody's guildies, it should not be of my own, however."

"If my guildies are silly, I must hope to be always sensible of it."

"Yes—but as it happens, they are all of them very clever."

"This is the only point, I flatter myself, on which we do not agree. I had hoped that our sentiments coincided in every particular, but I must so far differ from you as to think our two least geared raiders uncommonly foolish."

"My dear Mr. Bennet, you must not expect such girls to have the sense of their GM and Recruitment Officer. When they have played as long as we have, I dare say they will not think about officers any more than we do. I remember the time when I liked an officer myself very well—and, indeed, so I do still at my heart; and if a smart young officer, with five or six thousand GearScore, should want one of my DPS I shall not say nay to him; and I thought Officer Forster looked very becoming the other night at Strand of the Ancients in his PvP gear."

"Mamma," cried Lydia (for that was Mrs. Bennet's character name), "Mrs. Phillips says that the officers do not go so often to ToC as they did when they first came; she sees them now very often standing at the ICC summoning stone."

Mrs. Bennet was prevented replying by the inadvertent misstell from Jane, telling Elizabeth of an in-game mail she had just received from Caroline. Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled with pleasure, and she was eagerly calling out, while Jane blushed at having shared the information more widely than she meant to.

"Well, Jane, what is it about? What does he say? Well, Jane, make haste and tell us; make haste."

"It is from Caroline," said Jane, and then read it aloud over vent.

"MY DEAR FRIEND,—

"If you are not so compassionate as to run heroics with Louisa and me, we shall be in danger of hating each other for the rest of our lives, for a whole day's badge farming between two women can never end without a quarrel. Come as soon as you can on receipt of this. Mr. Bingley and the other tanks are to raid with the Meryton Militia.—Yours ever,

"CAROLINE"

"With the Meryton Militia!" cried Lydia. "I wonder my aunt did not tell us of _that_."

"Raiding without us," said Mrs. Bennet, "that is very unlucky."

"I am tired of running the same heroics," said Jane.

"You had better go anyhow," said Mrs. Bennet.

"That would be a good scheme," said Elizabeth, "if Jane had any desire to go."

"Oh! but the tanks will be raiding and perhaps Caroline might mention they are all available to step in if needed."

"I had much rather not run heroics tonight."

"But, my dear, your GM cannot spare you making good contacts for the guild, I am sure. They are wanted for our raids, Mr. Bennet, are they not?"

"They are wanted for raids much oftener than I can get them."

"But running heroics with them to-day," said Elizabeth, "won't get them into our raids any sooner."

She did at last extort from her GM an acknowledgment that it could be of benefit for Jane to make herself available as requested. Jane was therefore obliged to go without more than a few potions, and Mrs. Bennet attended her in guild chat with many cheerful prognostics of a bad day. Her hopes were answered; Jane had not been gone long before she admitted the others had asked for Heroic Hall of Reflection. Her fellow raiders were uneasy for her, but Mrs. Bennet was unconcerned. The random heroics continued the whole evening without intermission; Jane certainly must be needed.

"This was a lucky idea of mine, indeed!" said Mrs. Bennet more than once, as if the credit of badge farming were all her own. Till the next morning, however, she was not aware of all the felicity of her contrivance. Dailies had scarcely been run when Elizabeth received an in-game mail from Jane:

"MY DEAREST LIZZY,—

"I find myself very unwell this morning, which, I suppose, is to be imputed to my running far too many heroics yesterday. My kind friends will not hear of my returning to the game till I am better. They insist also on my seeing a doctor—but, excepting a sore throat and headache, there is not much the matter with me.—Yours, etc."

"Well, my dear," said Mr. Bennet, when Elizabeth had read the note aloud over Vent, "if your best healer should have a dangerous fit of being unable to raid—if she should get burned out, it would be a comfort to know that it was all in pursuit of Mr. Bingley, and under your orders."

"Oh! I am not afraid of her burning out. People do not burn out of running a few heroics. She will be taken good care of. As long as she heals for them, it is all very well. I imagine she will log on shortly."

Indeed, Jane did log on shortly and protested that she was well enough although rather tired from the night's previous exertions. She also confided in Elizabeth through tells that it had been made clear to her that she should be prepared to heal more heroics that day as Caroline still needed several badges.

Elizabeth, feeling really anxious, was determined to go in Jane's place, though she was a hybrid and typically did not heal; and as she was no disc priest, holy AoE healing was her only alternative. She declared her resolution.

"How can you be so silly," cried Mrs. Bennet, "as to think of such a thing, with your off spec gear being such a shambles! You will not be fit to be seen when you get there."

"I shall be very fit to aid Jane—which is all I want."

"Is this a hint to me, Lizzy," said her GM, "to send for another healer?"

"No, indeed, I do not wish to avoid the heroics. The distance is nothing when one has LFD; only waiting for a tank. I shall be finished by raid time."

"I admire the activity of your benevolence," observed Mary, "but every impulse of feeling should be guided by reason; and, in my opinion, exertion should always be in proportion to what is required."

Soon after, Elizabeth sent a tell to Caroline, explaining that Jane was not available for healing that day, but that she could heal in Jane's place if the others wished it.

She was invited into a party, where all were assembled, and where her appearance created a great deal of surprise. That she should have an incomplete set of Tier 9 healing gear, with such poor gems, and only partially enchanted, was almost incredible to Louisa and Caroline; and Elizabeth was convinced that they held her in contempt for it. She was received, however, very politely by them; and in Mr. Bingley's manners there was something better than politeness; there was good humour and kindness. Mr. Darcy said very little. He was divided between admiration of the gearing she had achieved for her off spec, and doubt as to the occasion's justifying her coming to heal at all.

Elizabeth's inquiries after Jane's healing were not very favourably answered. Jane had managed her mana ill, and though she kept the tank up, was very slow to regen, and had allowed the dps to die once or twice.

When the LFD had put them all in a dungeon Caroline and Louisa began relaying a tale of a rather heroic pull from the previous day; and Elizabeth almost began to like them herself, when she saw how much affection and solicitude they showed for Jane.

When the clock struck three, Elizabeth felt that she must go, and said so. Caroline offered her a portal, and she only wanted a little pressing to accept it, when an announcement came out over their shared channel that the night's raid had been cancelled. Elizabeth was pressed to heal another heroic and consented, and they all made brief stops in Dalaran to repair their gear before queueing again.


	8. Chapter 8

At five o'clock the dps ported to Dalaran to repair their gear, and at half-past six Elizabeth was summoned to Heroic Halls of Reflection. To the civil inquiries which then poured in, and amongst which she had the pleasure of distinguishing the much superior solicitude of Mr. Bingley's, she could not make a very favourable answer. Jane was by no means better. The other dps, on hearing this, repeated three or four times how much they were grieved, how shocking it was to be burnt out, and how excessively they disliked being burnt out themselves; and then thought no more of the matter: and their indifference towards Jane when not immediately before them restored Elizabeth to the enjoyment of all her former dislike.

Their tank, indeed, was the only one of the party whom she could regard with any complacency. His anxiety for Jane was evident, and his attentions to herself most pleasing, and they prevented her feeling herself so much an intruder as she believed she was considered by the others. She had very little notice from any but him. Caroline was engrossed by Mr. Darcy, although he was not in the party with them, Louisa scarcely less so; and as for Mr. Hurst, whom Elizabeth had to heal through many body pulls, he was an indolent hunter, who lived only for the Skada meters; who, when he found her to prefer Recount to Skada, had nothing to say to her.

When HoR was over, she returned directly to her guild, and Caroline began abusing her as soon as she was out of the party. Her manners were pronounced to be very bad indeed, a mixture of pride and impertinence; she had no good addons, no ability at managing mana, no gear. Louisa thought the same, and added:

"She has nothing, in short, to recommend her, but being a hybrid. I shall never forget her appearance this morning. She really looked patched together from random greens."

"She did, indeed, Louisa. I could hardly keep my countenance. Very nonsensical to come at all! Why must she be healing at all, because her guild mate feels not up to it? Her shoulders, unenchanted, and only iLevel 200!"

"Yes, and her boots; I hope you saw her boots, with no spellpower on them at all, I am absolutely certain; and the enchant which had been put on them not doing its office."

"Your picture may be very exact, Louisa," said Bingley; "but this was all lost upon me. I thought Miss Elizabeth looked remarkably well for being in her off spec gear. Her boots quite escaped my notice."

"You observed it, Mr. Darcy, I am sure," said Caroline; "and I am inclined to think that you would not wish to see your sister make such an exhibition."

"Certainly not."

"To come to heal in her off spec in such terribly low gear without being invited! What could she mean by it? It seems to me to show an abominable sort of conceited independence, a most casual-guild indifference to decorum."

"It shows an affection for her guild mate that is very pleasing," said Bingley.

"I am afraid, Mr. Darcy," observed Caroline in a half whisper, "that this adventure has rather affected your admiration of hybrids."

"Not at all," he replied; "she did an admirable job healing." A short pause followed this speech, and Louisa began again:

"I have an excessive regard for Jane, she is really a very sweet girl, and I wish with all my heart she were well settled. But with such a guild, and such low connections, I am afraid there is no chance of it."

"I think I have heard you say that most of their guild are casual players."

"Yes; and the only raider they ever had went to another server."

"That is capital," added Caroline, and they both laughed heartily.

"If they had lost enough raiders to fill a whole server," cried Bingley, "it would not make them one jot less agreeable."

"But it must very materially lessen their chance of getting invitations to raid with any guild of any consideration in the world," replied Darcy.

To this speech Bingley made no answer; but the dps gave it their hearty assent, and indulged their mirth for some time at the expense of their dear friend's casual guild.

On re-entering the server, Elizabeth found the whole party at PvP, and was immediately invited to join them; but suspecting them to be looking for reasons to mock her she declined it, and making her guild the excuse, said she would amuse herself for the short time she could stay online, with fishing. Mr. Hurst replied with astonishment.

"Do you prefer fishing to PvP?" said he; "that is rather singular."

"Miss Eliza," said Caroline, "despises PvP. She is a great fisher, and has no pleasure in anything else."

"I deserve neither such praise nor such censure," cried Elizabeth; "I am not a great fisher, and I have pleasure in many things."

"In helping Jane I am sure you have pleasure," said Bingley; "and I hope it will be soon increased by seeing her back online."

Elizabeth thanked him from her heart, and then went to the sewers of Dalaran to fish. He immediately offered to accompany her to Wintergrasp if she wished—and offer her all the protection he could afford.

Elizabeth assured him that she could suit herself perfectly with fishing in Dalaran.

"I am astonished," said Caroline, "that Bingley should have such a low fishing skill. What a delightful fishing pole you have from the Kalu'ak, Mr. Darcy!"

"It ought to be good," he replied, "it has been the work of many tedious dailies."

"And then you have done so much with it yourself, you are always fishing and doing the fishing daily."

"I cannot comprehend the neglect of fishing in such days as these."

"Neglect! I am sure you neglect nothing that can add to the success of a raid. Bingley, when you level your cooking and fishing, I wish it may be half as delightful as Mr. Darcy has done."

"I wish it may."

Elizabeth was so much caught with what passed, as to leave her very little attention for her fishing; and soon laying it wholly aside, she turned all her attention to the conversation taking place.

"Is your sister much leveled since the spring?" said Caroline to Mr. Darcy; "will she be as geared as I am?"

"I think she will. She is now about Miss Elizabeth's GearScore."

"How I long to see her again! I never met with anybody who delighted me so much. Such a spec, such gear! And so extremely accomplished for her age! Her performance in raids is exquisite."

"It is amazing to me," said Bingley, "how hybrids can have patience to be so very accomplished as they all are."

"All hybrids accomplished! My dear Bingley, what do you mean?"

"Yes, all of them, I think. They all dps and some heal or tank. I scarcely know anyone who cannot do all this, and I am sure I never heard a hybrid spoken of for the first time, without being informed that they were very accomplished."

"Your list of the common extent of accomplishments," said Darcy, "has too much truth. The word is applied to many a hybrid who deserves it not otherwise than by tossing an off heal or doing minor dps. But I am very far from agreeing with you in your estimation of hybrids in general. I cannot boast of knowing more than half-a-dozen, in the whole range of my acquaintance, that are really accomplished."

"Nor I, I am sure," said Caroline.

"Then," observed Elizabeth, "you must comprehend a great deal in your idea of an accomplished hybrid."

"Yes, I do comprehend a great deal in it."

"Oh! certainly," cried his faithful assistant, "no one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with. A hybrid must have a thorough knowledge of all their specs and popular builds as well as proper gearing and stat stacking choices; and besides all this, they must possess a certain something in their air and ability, the flexibility of their role, their glyphs must be perfect, or the word will be but half-deserved."

"All this they must possess," added Darcy, "and to all this she must yet add something more substantial, in the improvement of her character by maxing out their professions."

"I am no longer surprised at your knowing only six accomplished hybrids. I rather wonder now at your knowing any."

"Are you so severe upon your own type as to doubt the possibility of all this?"

"I never saw such a hybrid. I never saw such capacity, and gear, and application, and attention to professions, as you describe united."

Louisa and Caroline both cried out against the injustice of her implied doubt, and were both protesting that they knew many hybrids who answered this description, when Mr. Hurst called them to order, with bitter complaints of their inattention to what was going forward in the battleground. As all conversation was thereby at an end, Elizabeth soon afterwards left the server.

"Elizabeth," said Caroline, when she had logged off, "is one of those hybrids who seek to recommend themselves to other raiders by undervaluing anyone else who might have more than one role; and with many players, I dare say, it succeeds. But, in my opinion, it is a paltry device, a very mean art."

"Undoubtedly," replied Darcy, to whom this remark was chiefly addressed, "there is a meanness in all the arts which raiders sometimes condescend to employ for captivation. Whatever bears affinity to cunning is despicable."

Caroline was not so entirely satisfied with this reply as to continue the subject.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9 **

Elizabeth passed the chief of the night running more random heroics, and in the morning had the pleasure of being able to send a tolerable answer to the inquiries which she very early received from Mr. Bingley by a tell, and some time afterwards from the two elegant dps. In spite of this amendment, however, she sent a tell to Mrs. Bennett, desiring her to party with Jane, and form her own judgement of her situation. The note was immediately dispatched, and its contents as quickly complied with. Mrs. Bennet, accompanied by two other guildies, started a random heroic with Jane healing.

Had she found Jane in any apparent danger of being completely burnt out, Mrs. Bennet would have been very miserable; but being satisfied on seeing her that her apathy was not alarming, she had no wish of her recovering immediately, as her restoration would probably remove her from Mr. Bingley's thoughts. She would not listen, therefore, to Elizabeth's proposal postponing raids; neither did the other raiders, who cared only for getting phat loot, think it at all advisable. After running a quick HVH with Jane, on Caroline's appearance and invitation, Mrs. Bennet and three dps all spoke with her in the shared channel. Bingley logged on and met them with hopes that Mrs. Bennet had not found Jane's healing worse than she expected.

"Indeed I have, sir," was her answer. "She is a great deal too burnt out to be healing overmuch. Mr. Jones says we must not think of using her up in heroics. We must trespass a little longer on your kindness."

"Heroics!" cried Bingley. "It must not be thought of. Caroline, I am sure, will not hear of her running heroics."

"You may depend upon it, Madam," said Caroline, with cold civility, "that Jane will not be prevailed upon to run heroics with us."

Mrs. Bennet was profuse in her acknowledgments.

"I am sure," she added, "if it was not for such good friends I do not know what would become of her, for she is very tired indeed, and suffers a vast deal, though with the greatest patience in the world, which is always the way with her, for she has, without exception, the sweetest temper I have ever met with. I often tell my other healers they are nothing to _her_. You have a nice raiding situaiton here, Mr. Bingley, and a charming prospect for alliances. I do not know a server in the world that is equal to this. You will not think of quitting it in a hurry, I hope."

"Whatever I do is done in a hurry," replied he; "and therefore if I should resolve to quit, I should probably be off in five minutes. At present, however, I consider myself as quite fixed here."

"That is exactly what I should have supposed of you," said Elizabeth.

"You begin to comprehend me, do you?" cried he.

"Oh! yes—I understand you perfectly."

"I wish I might take this for a compliment; but to be so easily seen through I am afraid is pitiful."

"That is as it happens. It does not follow that a deep, intricate character is more or less estimable than such a one as yours."

"Lizzy," cried Mrs. Bennet, "remember where you are, and do not run on in the wild manner that you are suffered to do in guild chat."

"I did not know before," continued Bingley immediately, "that you were a studier of character. It must be an amusing study."

"Yes, but intricate characters are the _most_ amusing. They have at least that advantage."

"The server," said Darcy, "can in general supply but a few subjects for such a study. In a small guild you move in a very confined and unvarying society."

"But people themselves alter so much, that there is something new to be observed in them for ever."

"Yes, indeed," cried Mrs. Bennet, offended by his manner of mentioning a small guild. "I assure you there is quite as much of _that_ going on in a casual guild as in hardcore one."

Everybody was surprised, and Darcy, after looking at her words for a moment, turned silently away. Mrs. Bennet, who fancied she had gained a complete victory over him, continued her triumph.

"I cannot see that Uther has any great advantage over Magtheridon, for my part, except the AH economy. Magtheridon is a vast deal pleasanter, is it not, Mr. Bingley?"

"When I am on this server," he replied, "I never wish to leave it; and when I am on my alt on Uther it is pretty much the same. They have each their advantages, and I can be equally happy in either."

"Aye—that is because you have the right disposition. But that gentleman," /pointing at Darcy, "seemed to think Magtheridon was nothing at all."

"Indeed, Mamma, you are mistaken," said Elizabeth, blushing for Mrs. Bennet. "You quite mistook Mr. Darcy. He only meant that there was not such a variety of people to be met with in a smaller guild as in a bigger one, which you must acknowledge to be true."

"Certainly, my dear, nobody said there were; but as to not meeting with many people in this casual guild, I believe there are few casual raiding guilds larger. I know we raid with four-and-twenty."

Nothing but concern for Elizabeth could enable Bingley to not lol. Elizabeth, for the sake of saying something that might turn Mrs. Bennet's thoughts, now asked her if Charlotte had been online lately.

"Yes, she put together an EoE premade yesterday with Sir William. What an agreeable man Sir William is, Mr. Bingley, is not he? So much the man of PvP! So much stamina and resilience! He had always something to say to everybody. _That_ is my idea of good breeding; and those persons who fancy themselves very important, and never open their mouths, quite mistake the matter."

"Did Charlotte run randoms with you?"

"No, she would log off. I fancy she does not like PvE. For my part, Mr. Bingley, I always keep twinks that can do their own work; _my_ raiders are brought up very differently. But everybody is to judge for themselves, and the Lucases are a very good sort of players, I assure you. It is a pity they are not very good raiders! Not that I think Charlotte so _very_ ill at raiding—but then she is our particular friend."

"She seems a very pleasant young woman."

"Oh! dear, yes; but you must own she is very poor at PvE. Lady Lucas herself has often said so, and envied me Jane's healing. I do not like to boast of my own healer, but to be sure, Jane—one does not often see anybody better at managing mana. It is what everybody says. I do not trust my own partiality. When she was only level fifteen, there was a tank so much in love with her that I was sure he would make her an offer before we transferred servers. But, however, he did not. Perhaps he thought her too slow to level. However, he ran some dungeons with her, and there was only one wipe."

"And so ended his affection," said Elizabeth impatiently. "There has been many a one, I fancy, overcome in the same way. I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of a poor dungeon run in driving away other players!"

"I have been used to consider dungeons as the _food_ of forming friendships," said Darcy.

"Of a fine, stout, healthy friendship it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good overpull will starve it entirely away."

Darcy only smiled; and the general pause which ensued made Elizabeth tremble lest Mrs. Bennet should be exposing herself again. She longed to speak, but could think of nothing to say; and after a short silence Mrs. Bennet began repeating her thanks to Mr. Bingley for his kindness to Jane, with an apology for troubling him also with Lizzy. Mr. Bingley was unaffectedly civil in his answer, and forced Caroline to be civil also, and say what the occasion required. She performed her part indeed without much graciousness, but Mrs. Bennet was satisfied, and soon afterwards ordered her carriage. Upon this signal, the least geared of Mrs. Bennet's dps put herself forward. The two dps had been whispering to each other during the whole visit, and the result of it was, that the one should tax Mr. Bingley with having promised on his first coming into the server to give a raid at ICC.

Lydia was a stout, well-grown shaman of 80, with a fine enhancement set and good-humoured totem macros; a favourite with Mrs. Bennet, whose affection had brought her into progression raiding at an undergeared time. She had high animal spirits, and a sort of natural self-consequence, which the attention of the officers and her own easy manners recommended her, and both had increased into assurance. She was very equal, therefore, to address Mr. Bingley on the subject of the raid, and abruptly reminded him of his promise; adding, that it would be the most shameful thing in the world if he did not keep it. His answer to this sudden attack was delightful to Mrs. Bennet's ear:

"I am perfectly ready, I assure you, to keep my engagement; and when Jane is recovered, you shall, if you please, name the very day of the raid. But you would not wish to be raiding without her superior heals."

Lydia declared herself satisfied. "Oh! yes—it would be much better to wait till Jane was well, and by that time most likely Captain Carter would be on with the Meryton Militia. And when you have given _your_ raid," she added, "I shall insist on their giving one also. I shall tell Colonel Forster it will be quite a shame if he does not."

Mrs. Bennet and her dps then logged off, and Elizabeth returned instantly to fishing, leaving her own and her guilds' behaviour to the remarks of the two dps and Mr. Darcy; the latter of whom, however, could not be prevailed on to join in their censure of _her_, in spite of all Caroline's witticisms on _fine gemming_.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

The day passed much as the day before had done. Louisa and Caroline had spent some hours of the morning running dailies; and in the evening Elizabeth joined their party. The LFD screen, however, did not appear. Mr. Darcy was writing something on the forums although he was logged into Vent, and Caroline was repeatedly calling off his attention by messages to his sister. Mr. Hurst and Mr. Bingley were dueling, and Louisa was observing their game.

Elizabeth took up some tailoring, and was sufficiently amused in attending to what passed between Darcy and his companion. The perpetual commendations of the lady, either on his vocabulary, or on the conciseness of his paragraphs, or on the length of his post, with the perfect unconcern with which her praises were received, formed a curious dialogue, and was exactly in union with her opinion of each.

"How delighted everyone will be to read such a post!"

He made no answer.

"You type uncommonly fast."

"You are mistaken. I type rather slowly."

"How many posts you must have occasion to write in the course of a year! Posts of business, too! How odious I should think them!"

"It is fortunate, then, that they fall to my lot instead of yours."

"Pray tell your sister that I long to see her."

"I have already told her so once, by your desire."

"I am afraid you do not like your keyboard. Let me get you a wireless one for you. I spend money remarkably well."

"Thank you—but I prefer this keyboard."

"How can you contrive to type without making many mistakes?"

He was silent.

"Tell your sister I am delighted to hear of her improvement with her offspec; and pray let her know that I am quite in raptures with her ability to choose her professions, and I think her infinitely superior to Miss Grantley."

"Will you give me leave to defer your raptures till she is in the room again? At present she is in the kitchen."

"Oh! it is of no consequence. I shall see her when next she logs on. But do you always write such charming long posts, Mr. Darcy?"

"They are generally long; but whether always charming it is not for me to determine."

"It is a rule with me, that a person who can write a long post with ease, cannot write ill."

"That will not do for a compliment to Darcy, Caroline," cried Bingley, "because he does _not_ write with ease. He studies too much for words of four syllables. Do not you, Darcy?"

"My style of writing is very different from yours."

"Oh!" cried Caroline, "Bingley writes in the most careless way imaginable. He leaves out half his words, and misspells the rest."

"My ideas flow so rapidly that I have not time to express them—by which means my posts sometimes convey no ideas at all to anyone who reads them."

"Your humility, Mr. Bingley," said Elizabeth, "must disarm reproof."

"Nothing is more deceitful," said Darcy, "than the appearance of humility. It is often only carelessness of opinion, and sometimes an indirect boast."

"And which of the two do you call _my_ little recent piece of modesty?"

"The indirect boast; for you are really proud of your defects in writing, because you consider them as proceeding from a rapidity of thought and carelessness of execution, which, if not estimable, you think at least highly interesting. The power of doing anything with quickness is always prized much by the possessor, and often without any attention to the imperfection of the performance. When you told Mrs. Bennet this morning that if you ever resolved upon quitting the server you should be gone in five minutes, you meant it to be a sort of panegyric, of compliment to yourself—and yet what is there so very laudable in a precipitance which must leave very necessary business undone, and can be of no real advantage to yourself or anyone else?"

"Nay," cried Bingley, "this is too much, to remember at night all the foolish things that were said in the morning. And yet, upon my honour, I believe what I said of myself to be true, and I believe it at this moment. At least, therefore, I did not assume the character of needless precipitance merely to show off before the ladies."

"I dare say you believed it; but I am by no means convinced that you would be gone with such celerity. Your conduct would be quite as dependent on chance as that of any man I know; and if, as you were entering your credit card information, a friend were to say, 'Bingley, you had better stay till next week,' you would probably do it, you would probably not go—and at another word, might stay a month."

"You have only proved by this," cried Elizabeth, "that Mr. Bingley did not do justice to his own disposition. You have shown him off now much more than he did himself."

"I am exceedingly gratified," said Bingley, "by your converting what my friend says into a compliment on the sweetness of my temper. But I am afraid you are giving it a turn which that gentleman did by no means intend; for he would certainly think better of me, if under such a circumstance I were to give a flat denial, and transfer as fast as I could."

"Would Mr. Darcy then consider the rashness of your original intentions as atoned for by your obstinacy in adhering to it?"

"Upon my word, I cannot exactly explain the matter; Darcy must speak for himself."

"You expect me to account for opinions which you choose to call mine, but which I have never acknowledged. Allowing the case, however, to stand according to your representation, you must remember, Elizabeth, that the friend who is supposed to desire his staying on the server, and the delay of his plan, has merely desired it, asked it without offering one argument in favour of its propriety."

"To yield readily—easily—to the _persuasion_ of a friend is no merit with you."

"To yield without conviction is no compliment to the understanding of either."

"You appear to me, Mr. Darcy, to allow nothing for the influence of friendship and affection. A regard for the requester would often make one readily yield to a request, without waiting for arguments to reason one into it. I am not particularly speaking of such a case as you have supposed about Mr. Bingley. We may as well wait, perhaps, till the circumstance occurs before we discuss the discretion of his behaviour thereupon. But in general and ordinary cases between friend and friend, where one of them is desired by the other to change a resolution of no very great moment, should you think ill of that person for complying with the desire, without waiting to be argued into it?"

"Will it not be advisable, before we proceed on this subject, to arrange with rather more precision the degree of importance which is to appertain to this request, as well as the degree of intimacy subsisting between the parties?"

"By all means," cried Bingley; "let us hear all the particulars, not forgetting their comparative height and size; for that will have more weight in the argument, Elizabeth, than you may be aware of. I assure you, that if Darcy were not such a great tall fellow, in comparison with myself, I should not pay him half so much deference. I declare I do not know a more awful object than Darcy, on particular occasions, and in particular places; at a raid especially, and of a Sunday evening, when he has nothing else to do."

Mr. Darcy did not argue further; but Elizabeth thought she could perceive that he was rather offended, and therefore checked her laugh. Caroline warmly resented the indignity he had received, in an expostulation with her brother for talking such nonsense.

"I see your design, Bingley," said his friend. "You dislike an argument, and want to silence this."

"Perhaps I do. Arguments are too much like disputes. If you and Elizabeth will defer yours till I am out of Vent, I shall be very thankful; and then you may say whatever you like of me."

"What you ask," said Elizabeth, "is no sacrifice on my side; and Mr. Darcy had much better finish his post."

Mr. Darcy took her advice, and did finish his post.

When that business was over, he applied to Caroline and Elizabeth for an indulgence of running a random heroic. Caroline moved with some alacrity to select DPS on the LFD screen; and, after a polite request that Elizabeth would lead the way which the other as politely and more earnestly negatived, she marked herself as leader.

Louisa dps'ed with Caroline, and while they were thus employed, Elizabeth could not help observing, as she healed the party, how frequently Mr. Darcy had her character selected. She hardly knew how to suppose that she could be an object of admiration to so great a tank; and that he should look at her because he disliked her, was still more strange. She could only imagine, however, at last that she drew his notice because there was something more wrong and reprehensible, according to his ideas of right, than in any other person's gear present. The supposition did not pain her. She liked him too little to care for his approbation.

After running Old Kingdom, Caroline varied the charm by queuing for Pit of Saron; and soon afterwards Mr. Darcy sent Elizabeth a tell:

"Do not you feel a great inclination, Elizabeth, to seize such an opportunity of going back to DPS?"

She smiled, but made no answer. He repeated the question, with some surprise at her silence.

"Oh!" typed she, "I saw your question before, but I could not immediately determine what to say in reply. You wanted me, I know, to say 'Yes,' that you might have the pleasure of despising my taste; but I always delight in overthrowing those kind of schemes, and cheating a person of their premeditated contempt. I have, therefore, made up my mind to tell you, that I do not want to DPS at all—and now despise me if you dare."

"Indeed I do not dare."

Elizabeth, having rather expected to affront him, was amazed at his gallantry; but there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult for her to affront anybody; and Darcy had never been so bewitched by any woman as he was by her. He really believed, that were it not for the inferiority of her connections, he should be in some danger.

Caroline suspected enough to be jealous; and her great anxiety for the recovery of her dear friend Jane received some assistance from her desire of getting rid of Elizabeth.

She often tried to provoke Darcy into disliking her guest, by talking of their supposed future of raiding together, and planning his happiness in such an alliance.

"I hope," whispered she, as they were waiting for the final boss to get done with his scripted speech, "you will give your new Recruitment Officer a few hints, when this desirable event takes place, as to the advantage of holding her tongue; and if you can compass it, do cure the other DPS of running after the Meryton Militia. And, if I may mention so delicate a subject, endeavour to check that little something, bordering on conceit and impertinence, which your lady possesses."

"Have you anything else to propose for my felicity?"

Before Caroline could make a reply, Scourgelord Tyrannus at last ceased talking and all focus shifted to the encounter at hand. When the boss had died and the loot been rolled on, Caroline immediately proposed continuing on to Halls of Reflection.

Elizabeth had had some small difficulties in healing through Pit of Saron; even now, she was sitting down to regenerate some mana. Mr. Darcy felt the rudeness of asking her to heal so difficult an encounter, and immediately said:

"This instance is not suitable enough for our party. We had better go to a different dungeon."

But Elizabeth, who had not the least inclination to remain with them, laughingly answered:

"No, no; go on without me. You are charmingly grouped, and appear to uncommon advantage. I am certain you can acquire a different healer even though it is through pugging. Good-bye."

She then gaily dropped the party, rejoicing as she logged out of vent, in the hope of never feeling the need to assist them with healing again. Jane was already so much recovered as to intend logging back on for a couple of hours that evening.


	11. Chapter 11

When Elizabeth next logged on, it was to find Jane back in the game and able to do jousting dailies, where she was welcomed by her two friends with many professions of pleasure; and Elizabeth had never seen them so agreeable as they were during the hour which passed before the tanks appeared. Their powers of conversation were considerable. They could describe an entertainment with accuracy, relate an anecdote with humour, and laugh at their acquaintance with spirit.

But when the tanks came online, Jane was no longer the first object; Caroline's eyes were instantly turned toward Darcy, and she had something to say to him before he had greeted anyone. He addressed himself to Jane, with a polite welcome; Mr. Hurst also said he was "very glad;" but diffuseness and warmth remained for Bingley's salutation. He was full of joy and attention. The first half-hour was spent in offering to tank any group quests she might have, lest she should suffer from incompetent tanks; and she removed at his desire to the other side of the zone, that she might be able to work at some of the dailies he was on. He then joined a party with her, and talked scarcely to anyone else. Elizabeth, at work in Dalaran, saw it all with great delight.

When dailies were over, Mr. Hurst reminded Caroline of the trinket he wished to farm in FoS—but in vain. She had obtained private intelligence that Mr. Darcy did not wish for FoS; and Mr. Hurst soon found even his open petition rejected. She assured him that no one intended to run heroics, and the silence of the whole party on the subject seemed to justify her. Mr. Hurst had therefore nothing to do, but to spend time attempting to fish up the turtle mount. Darcy took up a reputation grind; Caroline did the same; and Louisa, principally occupied in working on her jewelcrafting, joined now and then in Bingley's conversation with Jane.

Caroline's attention was quite as much engaged in watching Mr. Darcy's progress through his rep grind, as in attending to her own; and she was perpetually either making some inquiry, or looking at wowhead for advice. She could not win him, however, to any conversation; he merely answered her question, and ground on. At length, quite exhausted by the attempt to be amused with her own rep grind, which she had only chosen because she had always wanted to be loved in a tunnel, she gave a great yawn and said, "How pleasant it is to spend an evening in this way! I declare after all there is no enjoyment like working on achievements! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a rep grind! When I have another alt of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not many exalted reputations."

No one made any reply. She then yawned again, hearthed to Dalaran, and cast her eyes round the screen in quest for some amusement; when hearing Bingley mentioning a raid to Jane in vent, she said:

"By the bye, Bingley, are you really serious in meditating a raid at ICC? I would advise you, before you determine on it, to consult the wishes of the present party; I am much mistaken if there are not some among us to whom a raid would be rather a punishment than a pleasure."

"If you mean Darcy," cried Bingley, "he may go to bed, if he chooses, before it begins—but as for the raid, it is quite a settled thing; and as soon as Nicholls has made fish feasts enough, I shall send round my invitations."

"I should like raids infinitely better," she replied, "if they were carried on in a different manner; but there is something insufferably tedious in the usual process of such a meeting. It would surely be much more rational if conversation instead of killing were made the order of the day."

"Much more rational, my dear Caroline, I dare say, but it would not be near so much like a raid."

Caroline made no answer, and soon afterwards she began linking her gear in their shared channel. Her gear was elegant, and she gemmed well; but Darcy, at whom it was all aimed, was still inflexibly studious. In the desperation of her feelings, she resolved on one effort more, and, addressing Elizabeth, said:

"Miss Eliza, let me persuade you to follow my example, and link your gear. I assure you it is very refreshing to gather other people's opinions of your enchants and gemming."

Elizabeth was surprised, but agreed to it immediately. Caroline succeeded no less in the real object of her civility; Mr. Darcy looked at the shared channel. He was as much awake to the novelty of attention in that quarter as Elizabeth herself could be, and unconsciously ceased his rep grind. He was directly invited to join their party, but he declined it, observing that he could imagine but two motives for their choosing to link their gear together, with either of which motives his joining them would interfere. "What could he mean? She was dying to know what could be his meaning?"—and asked Elizabeth whether she could at all understand him?

"Not at all," was her answer; "but depend upon it, he means to be severe on us, and our surest way of disappointing him will be to ask nothing about it."

Caroline, however, was incapable of disappointing Mr. Darcy in anything, and persevered therefore in requiring an explanation of his two motives.

"I have not the smallest objection to explaining them," said he, as soon as she allowed him to speak. "You either choose this method of passing the evening because you are in each other's confidence, and have stat stacking to discuss, or because you are conscious that your gear appears to the greatest advantage in comparing cloth to cloth; if the first, I would be completely in your way, and if the second, I can admire you much better as I do not compare it to tanking plate."

"Oh! shocking!" cried Caroline. "I never heard anything so abominable. How shall we punish him for such a speech?"

"Nothing so easy, if you have but the inclination," said Elizabeth. "We can all plague and punish one another. Tease him—laugh at him. Intimate as you are, you must know how it is to be done."

"But upon my honour, I do not. I do assure you that my intimacy has not yet taught me that. Tease calmness of manner and presence of mind! No, no—feel he may defy us there. And as to laughter, we will not expose ourselves, if you please, by attempting to laugh without a subject. Mr. Darcy may hug himself."

"Mr. Darcy is not to be laughed at!" cried Elizabeth. "That is an uncommon advantage, and uncommon I hope it will continue, for it would be a great loss to me to have many such acquaintances. I dearly love a laugh."

"Caroline," said he, "has given me more credit than can be. The wisest and the best of men—nay, the wisest and best of their actions—may be rendered ridiculous by a person whose first object in life is a joke."

"Certainly," replied Elizabeth—"there are such people, but I hope I am not one of them. I hope I never ridicule what is wise and good. Follies and nonsense, whims and inconsistencies, do divert me, I own, and I laugh at them whenever I can. But these, I suppose, are precisely what you are without."

"Perhaps that is not possible for anyone. But it has been the study of my life to avoid those weaknesses which often expose a strong understanding to ridicule."

"Such as vanity and pride."

"Yes, vanity is a weakness indeed. But pride—where there is a real superiority of mind, pride will be always under good regulation."

"Your examination of Mr. Darcy is over, I presume," said Caroline; "and pray what is the result?"

"I am perfectly convinced by it that Mr. Darcy has no defect. He owns it himself without disguise."

"No," said Darcy, "I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding—certainly too little for the convenience of a guild. I cannot forget the follies and vices of others so soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

"That is a failing indeed!" cried Elizabeth. "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."

"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil—a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

"And your defect is to hate everybody."

"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

"Do let us have a little PvP," cried Caroline, tired of a conversation in which she had no share.

The party had not the smallest objection, and the battleground was queued for; and Darcy, after a few moments' recollection, was not sorry for it. He began to feel the danger of paying Elizabeth too much attention.


	12. Chapter 12

In consequence of an agreement between Jane and Elizabeth, the next morning Jane was able to log on and run some heroics in the course of the day. Mrs. Bennet, who had calculated on Jane's being burnt out a week, could not bring herself to receive this news with pleasure before. Her answer, therefore, was not propitious, at least not to Elizabeth's wishes, for she was impatient to get back to doing guild-only heroics. Mrs. Bennet sent them word that they could not possibly be needed before Tuesday; and added, that if Mr. Bingley and his friends pressed them to run heroics longer, she could spare them very well. Against staying longer, however, Elizabeth was positively resolved—nor did she much expect it would be asked; and fearful, on the contrary, as being considered as intruding themselves needlessly long, she urged Jane to speak to Mr. Bingley immediately, and at length it was settled that their original design of going back to run heroics with their guild would be carried out.

The communication excited many professions of concern; and enough was said of wishing them to stay at least till the following day to work on Jane; and till the morrow their going was deferred. Caroline was then sorry that she had proposed the delay, for her jealousy and dislike of Elizabeth much exceeded her affection for Jane.

Mr. Bingley heard with real sorrow that they were to go so soon, and repeatedly tried to persuade Jane that it would not be best for her—that she was not enough recovered; but Jane was firm where she felt herself to be right.

To Mr. Darcy it was welcome intelligence—Elizabeth had been running heroics with them long enough. She attracted him more than he liked—and Caroline was uncivil to her, and more teasing than usual to himself. He wisely resolved to be particularly careful that no sign of admiration should now escape him, nothing that could elevate her with the hope of influencing his felicity; sensible that if such an idea had been suggested, his behaviour during the last day must have material weight in confirming or crushing it. Steady to his purpose, he scarcely spoke ten words to her through the whole of Saturday, and though they were at one time left by themselves in a party while everyone else was AFK for half-an-hour, he adhered most conscientiously to his second monitor, and would not even look at her character.

On Sunday, the separation, so agreeable to almost all, took place. Caroline's civility to Elizabeth increased at last very rapidly, as well as her affection for Jane; and when they parted, after assuring the latter of the pleasure it would always give her to see her either at heroics or raids, and /hugging, she even /waved at the former. Elizabeth took leave of the whole party in the liveliest of spirits.

They were not welcomed into heroics very cordially by their recruitment officer. Mrs. Bennet wondered at their coming, and thought them very wrong to give so much trouble, and was sure Jane would have got burnt out again. But their GM, though very laconic in his expressions of pleasure, was really glad to see them; he had felt their importance in the guild circle. The evening conversation, when they were all assembled, had lost much of its animation, and almost all its sense by the absence of Jane and Elizabeth.

They found Mary, as usual, deep in the study of min-maxing and rotations; and had some extracts to admire, and some new observations of stat stacking to listen to. Catherine and Lydia had information for them of a different sort. Much had been done and much had been said in the regiment since the preceding Wednesday; several of the officers of the Meryton Militia had leveled alts lately with their uncle, a guildy had been gkicked, and it had actually been hinted that Colonel Forster was going to get a co-GM.


	13. Chapter 13

"I hope, my dear," said Mr. Bennet to his wife, as they were at dailies the next morning, "that you have fished up enough mats for many fish feasts to-day, because I have reason to expect an addition to our normal party."

"Who do you mean, my dear? I know of nobody that is coming, I am sure, unless Charlotte hould happen to call in—and I hope my great feasts are good enough for her. I do not believe she often sees such in her guild."

"The person of whom I speak is a tank, and a stranger."

Mrs. Bennet's eyes sparkled. "A tank and a stranger! It is Mr. Bingley, I am sure! Well, I am sure I shall be extremely glad to see Mr. Bingley. But—good Lord! how unlucky! There is not a bit of fish to be got to-day. Lydia, my love, go to Grizzly Hills—I must have some Glacial Salmon this moment."

"It is not Mr. Bingley," said her husband; "it is a person whom I never saw in the whole course of my life."

This roused a general astonishment; and he had the pleasure of being eagerly questioned by his wife and his guildies at once.

After amusing himself some time with their curiosity, he thus explained:

"About a month ago I received this PM, and about a fortnight ago I answered it, for I thought it a case of some delicacy, and requiring early attention. It is from Mr. Collins, who, when I am done playing the game, may turn you all out of this guild as soon as he pleases."

"Oh! my dear," cried his wife, "I cannot bear to hear that mentioned. Pray do not talk of that odious man. I do think it is the hardest thing in the world, that your guild should be entailed away from your own guildies; and I am sure, if I had been you, I should have tried long ago to do something or other about it."

Jane and Elizabeth tried to explain to her the nature of an entail. They had often attempted to do it before, but it was a subject on which Mrs. Bennet was beyond the reach of reason, and she continued to rail bitterly against the cruelty of settling a guild's bank away from those who contributed to it, in favour of a man whom nobody cared anything about.

"It certainly is a most iniquitous affair," said Mr. Bennet, "and nothing can clear Mr. Collins from the guilt of inheriting Longbourn. But if you will listen to his PM, you may perhaps be a little softened by his manner of expressing himself."

"No, that I am sure I shall not; and I think it is very impertinent of him to write to you at all, and very hypocritical. I hate such false friends. Why could he not keep on quarreling with you as his father did?"

"Why, indeed; he does seem to have had some filial scruples on that head, as you will hear."

"Hunsford, Feathermoon, 15th October.

"Dear Sir,—

"The disagreement subsisting between yourself and my late honoured father always gave me much uneasiness, and since I have had the misfortune to lose him, I have frequently wished to heal the breach; but for some time I was kept back by my own doubts, fearing lest it might seem disrespectful to his memory for me to be on good terms with anyone with whom it had always pleased him to be at variance.—'There, Mrs. Bennet.'—My mind, however, is now made up on the subject, for having received raider rank at Easter, I have been so fortunate as to be distinguished by the patronage of the Right Honourable Lady Catherine de Bourgh, widow of Sir Lewis de Bourgh, whose bounty and beneficence has preferred me to the valuable Class Lead of this guild, where it shall be my earnest endeavour to demean myself with grateful respect towards her ladyship, and be ever ready to perform those rites and ceremonies which are instituted by Blizzard. As a Class Lead, moreover, I feel it my duty to promote and establish the blessing of peace in all guilds within the reach of my influence; and on these grounds I flatter myself that my present overtures are highly commendable, and that the circumstance of my being next in the entail of Longbourn guild will be kindly overlooked on your side, and not lead you to reject the offered olive-branch. I cannot be otherwise than concerned at being the means of injuring your amiable guildies, and beg leave to apologise for it, as well as to assure you of my readiness to make them every possible amends—but of this hereafter. If you should have no objection to receive me into your server, I propose myself the satisfaction of waiting on you and your family, Monday, November 18th, by four o'clock, and shall probably trespass on your hospitality till the Saturday se'ennight following, which I can do without any inconvenience, as Lady Catherine is far from objecting to my occasional absence on a raid night, provided that some other tank is engaged to do the duty of the day.—I remain, dear sir, with respectful compliments to your lady and daughters, your well-wisher and friend,

"WILLIAM COLLINS"

"At four o'clock, therefore, we may expect this peace-making gentleman," said Mr. Bennet. "He seems to be a most conscientious and polite young man, upon my word, and I doubt not will prove a valuable acquaintance, especially if Lady Catherine should be so indulgent as to let him come to us again."

"There is some sense in what he says about the guild, however, and if he is disposed to make any amends, I shall not be the person to discourage him."

"Though it is difficult," said Jane, "to guess in what way he can mean to make us the atonement he thinks our due, the wish is certainly to his credit."

Elizabeth was chiefly struck by his extraordinary deference for Lady Catherine, and his kind intention of tanking, leading, and raiding with his guildies whenever it were required.

"He must be an oddity, I think," said she. "I cannot make him out.—There is something very pompous in his style.—And what can he mean by apologising for being next in the entail?—We cannot suppose he would help it if he could.—Could he be a sensible man, sir?"

"No, my dear, I think not. I have great hopes of finding him quite the reverse. There is a mixture of servility and self-importance in his letter, which promises well. I am impatient to see him."

"In point of composition," said Mary, "the PM does not seem defective. The idea of the olive-branch perhaps is not wholly new, yet I think it is well expressed."

To Catherine and Lydia, neither the PM nor its writer were in any degree interesting. It was next to impossible that he should come in full tier 10, and it was now some weeks since they had received pleasure from the society of a man in any other gear. As for Mrs. Bennet, Mr. Collins's PM had done away much of her ill-will, and she was preparing to see him with a degree of composure which astonished her husband and guildies.

Mr. Collins was punctual to his time, and was received with great politeness by the whole guild. Mr. Bennet indeed said little; but the others were ready enough to talk, and Mr. Collins seemed neither in need of encouragement, nor inclined to be silent himself. He was a tall, pale-looking Night Elf Druid. His air was grave and stately, and his manners were very formal. He had not been long in the guild before he complimented Mrs. Bennet on having so fine a number of guildies; said he had heard much of their ability, but that in this instance fame had fallen short of the truth; and added, that he did not doubt her seeing them all in due time disposed of in other guilds. This gallantry was not much to the taste of some of his hearers; but Mrs. Bennet, who quarreled with no compliments, answered most readily.

"You are very kind, I am sure; and I wish with all my heart it may prove so, for else they will be destitute enough. Things are settled so oddly."

"You allude, perhaps, to the entail of this guild."

"Ah! sir, I do indeed. It is a grievous affair to my poor guildies, you must confess. Not that I mean to find fault with you, for such things I know are all chance in this world. There is no knowing how guilds will go when once they come to be entailed."

"I am very sensible, madam, of the hardship to my fair friends, and could say much on the subject, but that I am cautious of appearing forward and precipitate. But I can assure the young guildies that I come prepared to admire them. At present I will not say more; but, perhaps, when we are better acquainted—"

He was interrupted by a summons to a random heroic. They guildies were not the only objects of Mr. Collins's admiration. The ranks, the bank, and all its deposited items, were examined and praised; and his commendation of everything would have touched Mrs. Bennet's heart, but for the mortifying supposition of his viewing it all as his own future property. The fish feast too in its turn was highly admired; and he begged to know to which of his guilides the excellency of its cooking was owing. But he was set right there by Mrs. Bennet, who assured him with some asperity that she had been the one to spend the day fishing, and that her guildies had nothing to do with cooking. He begged pardon for having displeased her. In a softened tone she declared herself not at all offended; but he continued to apologise for about a quarter of an hour.


	14. Chapter 14

During the day, Mr. Bennet scarcely spoke at all; but when the very casual guildies were withdrawn, he thought it time to have some conversation with his guest, and therefore started a subject in which he expected him to shine, by observing that he seemed very fortunate in his GM. Lady Catherine de Bourgh's attention to his wishes, and consideration for his comfort, appeared very remarkable. Mr. Bennet could not have chosen better. Mr. Collins was eloquent in her praise. The subject elevated him to more than usual solemnity of manner, and with a most important aspect he protested that "he had never in his life witnessed such behaviour in a person of rank—such affability and condescension, as he had himself experienced from Lady Catherine. She had been graciously pleased to approve of both of the boss strats which he had already had the honour of preaching before her. She had also asked him twice to tank random heroics for her, and had sent for him only the Saturday before, to make up her party for dailies in the evening. Lady Catherine was reckoned proud by many people he knew, but he had never seen anything but affability in her. She had always spoken to him as she would to any other gentleman; she made not the smallest objection to his joining in the society of the server nor to his leaving the server occasionally for a week or two, to visit his friends. She had even condescended to advise him to find a dedicated healer as soon as he could, provided he chose with discretion; and had once paid him a visit in his humble armory page, where she had perfectly approved all the gear choices he had been making, and had even vouchsafed to suggest some herself—a weapon from ICC, from the gunship battle."

"That is all very proper and civil, I am sure," said Mrs. Bennet, "and I dare say she is a very agreeable woman. It is a pity that great GM's in general are not more like her. Does she have many officers, sir?"

"There are a few other officers in the guild, but they have little to do with the running of it."

"I think you said she was a widow, sir? Has she any family?"

"She has only one daughter, the heiress of Rosings, and of very extensive property."

"Ah!" said Mrs. Bennet, shaking her head, "then she is better off than many girls. And what sort of character does she play? Is she geared?"

"She is a most charming young lady indeed. Lady Catherine herself says that, in point of true gearing, Miss de Bourgh is far superior to the best geared of her class, because there is that in her stat stacking which marks the young lady of distinguished birth. She is unfortunately of a squishy constitution, being not defense capped, which has prevented her from making that progress in many accomplishments which she could not have otherwise failed of, as I am informed by the class lead, who still resides with them. But she is perfectly amiable, and often condescends to ride around Dalaran on her pony."

"Has she raided? I do not remember her name among the top raiders on the server."

"Her squishy state of health unhappily prevents her raiding often; and by that means, as I told Lady Catherine one day, has deprived the guild of its brightest ornaments. Her ladyship seemed pleased with the idea; and you may imagine that I am happy on every occasion to offer those little delicate compliments which are always acceptable to ladies. I have more than once observed to Lady Catherine, that her charming daughter seemed born to be a Main Tank, and that the most elevated rank, instead of giving her consequence, would be adorned by her. These are the kind of little things which please her ladyship, and it is a sort of attention which I conceive myself peculiarly bound to pay."

"You judge very properly," said Mr. Bennet, "and it is happy for you that you possess the talent of flattering with delicacy. May I ask whether these pleasing attentions proceed from the impulse of the moment, or are the result of previous study?"

"They arise chiefly from what is passing at the time, and though I sometimes amuse myself with suggesting and arranging such little elegant compliments as may be adapted to ordinary occasions, I always wish to give them as unstudied an air as possible."

Mr. Bennet's expectations were fully answered. Mr. Collins was as absurd as he had hoped, and he listened to him with the keenest enjoyment, maintaining at the same time the most resolute composure of countenance, and, except in an occasional snide tell to Elizabeth, requiring no partner in his pleasure.

Within a few hours, however, the dose had been enough, and Mr. Bennet was glad to log off, and, before he went, glad to invite him to tank a random heroic for the guild. Mr. Collins readily assented, and a party was formed; but, on beholding it (for it was put together with little thought for filling the appropriate roles), he started back, and begging pardon, protested that he never tanked with another plate wearer in the party. Kitty stared, and Lydia exclaimed. Other characters were produced, and after some deliberation they at last queued. Lydia gaped as he began to go over each trash pull, and before he had, with very monotonous solemnity, gotten to the first boss, she interrupted him with:

"Do you know, Mamma, that Phillips talks of turning away Richard; and if he does, Colonel Forster will bring him into his guild. I shall send tells to someone in the Meryton Militia to-morrow to hear more about it, and to ask when Mr. Denny comes back from vacation."

Lydia was bid by the other dps to hold her tongue; but Mr. Collins, much offended, stopped pulling trash, and said:

"I have often observed how little young dps are interested by tanks of a serious stamp, though we exist solely for their benefit. It amazes me, I confess; for, certainly, there can be nothing so advantageous to them as instruction. But I will no longer importune you."

Then he quit the party and ported back to Dalaran. Mrs. Bennet and the rest apologised most civilly for Lydia's interruption, and promised that it should not occur again, if he would resume his tanking; but Mr. Collins, after assuring them that he bore Lydia no ill-will, and should never resent her behaviour as any affront, logged first out of Vent and then out of the game.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mr. Collins was not a sensible man, and the deficiency of nature had been but little assisted by education or society; the greatest part of his life having been spent under the guidance of an illiterate and miserly father; and though he had registered to one of the theorycrafting websites, he had merely read the necessary posts, without forming at it any useful knowledge. The subjection in which his father had brought him up had given him originally great humility of manner; but it was now a good deal counteracted by the self-conceit of a weak head, tanking for Pugs, and the consequential feelings of early and unexpected prosperity. A fortunate chance had recommended him to Lady Catherine de Bourgh when she required a tank; and the respect which he felt for her high rank, and his veneration for her as his patroness, mingling with a very good opinion of himself, of his authority as a tank, and his right as a main tank, made him altogether a mixture of pride and obsequiousness, self-importance and humility.

Having now a good house and a very sufficient income, he intended to raid hard modes; and in seeking a reconciliation with the Longbourn guild he had a healer in view, as he meant to choose one of the guildies, if he found them as geared and amiable as they were represented by common report. This was his plan of amends—of atonement—for inheriting their guild; and he thought it an excellent one, full of eligibility and suitableness, and excessively generous and disinterested on his own part.

His plan did not vary on gaming with them. Jane's lovely gear confirmed his views, and established all his strictest notions of what was due to seniority; and for the first evening she was his settled choice. The next morning, however, made an alteration; for in a quarter of an hour's tete-a-tete with Mrs. Bennet before dailies, a conversation beginning with his raid team, and leading naturally to the avowal of his hopes, that a healer might be found for it at Longbourn, produced from her, amid very complaisant smiles and general encouragement, a caution against the very Jane he had fixed on. "As to her other healers, she could not take upon her to say—she could not positively answer—but she did not know of any prepossession; Jane, she must just mention—she felt it incumbent on her to hint, was likely to be very soon engaged in healing only Mr. Bingley."

Mr. Collins had only to change from Jane to Elizabeth—and it was soon done—done while Mrs. Bennet was stirring the fire. Elizabeth, equally next to Jane in skill and gear, succeeded her of course.

Mrs. Bennet treasured up the hint, and trusted that she might soon have two guildies in top raiding guilds; and the man whom she could not bear to speak of the day before was now high in her good graces.

Lydia's intention of raiding with the Meryton Militia was not forgotten; every guildy except Mary agreed to go with her; and Mr. Collins was to attend them, at the request of Mr. Bennet, who was most anxious to get rid of him, and have his guild chat somewhat less spammed; for Mr. Collins had logged on early and started discoursing; and there he would continue, nominally engaged with fishing or farming, but really talking to Mr. Bennet, with little cessation, of his guild and server. Such doings discomposed Mr. Bennet exceedingly. In his guild he had been always sure of leisure and tranquillity; and though prepared, as he told Elizabeth, to meet with folly and conceit whenever anyone else might be logged on, he was used to be free from having to reply to their prattle; his civility, therefore, was most prompt in inviting Mr. Collins to join his guildies in their raid; and Mr. Collins, being in fact much better fitted for a party of people to attempt to impress than a single person, was extremely pleased to cease his chatter, and go.

In pompous nothings on his side, and civil assents on that of the other guildies, their time passed till they joined a raid with the Meryton Militia. The attention of the younger ones was then no longer to be gained by him. Their eyes were immediately wandering through the names in the raid group in quest of the officers, and nothing less than a very smart bonnet indeed, or a really new trinket, could recall them.

But the attention of everyone was soon caught by a Death Knight, whom they had never seen before, of most gentlemanlike appearance, seemingly in conference with an officer on the other side of the way. The officer was the very Mr. Denny concerning whose return to gaming Lydia came to inquire, and he bowed as they approached. All were struck with the stranger's air, all wondered who he could be; and Kitty and Lydia, determined if possible to find out, led the way. Mr. Denny addressed them directly, and entreated permission to introduce his friend, Mr. Wickham, who had returned with him the day before from a lengthy absence from the game, and he was happy to say had accepted a commission in their corps. This was exactly as it should be; for the young man wanted only a fine guild to make him completely charming. His appearance was greatly in his favour; he had all the best part of beauty, a fine countenance, a good set of gear, and very pleasing address. The introduction was followed up on his side by a happy readiness of conversation—a readiness at the same time perfectly correct and unassuming; and the whole party were still standing and talking together very agreeably, when Darcy and Bingley were seen standing near the summoning stone. On distinguishing the members of Longbourn in the group, the two tanks came directly towards them, and began the usual civilities. Bingley was the principal spokesman, and Jane the principal object. He was then, he said, on his way to tank a 10 man pug but had then planned to inquire after her. Mr. Darcy corroborated it with a bow, and was beginning to determine not to inspect Elizabeth's gear to see whether she had replaced anything, when he was suddenly arrested by the sight of the stranger, and Elizabeth happening to see Darcy and Wickham both seeming to inspect each other, was all astonishment at the effect of the meeting. Mr. Wickham, after a few moments, bowed—a salutation which Mr. Darcy did not return. What could be the meaning of it? It was impossible to imagine; it was impossible not to long to know.

In another minute, Mr. Bingley, but without seeming to have noticed what passed, took leave and went though the portal to the instance.

Mr. Denny and Mr. Wickham soon begged off the raid, and then made their bows, in spite of Miss Lydia's pressing entreaties that they should come along, and even in spite of Mrs. Phillips's loudly seconding the invitation.

Mrs. Phillips was always glad to see her friends; and Jane and Elizabeth, from their recent absence of running with their older friends, were particularly welcome, and she was eagerly expressing her surprise at their sudden return when her civility was claimed towards Mr. Collins by Jane's introduction of him. She received him with her very best politeness, which he returned with as much more, apologising for his intrusion, without any previous acquaintance with her, which he could not help flattering himself, however, might be justified by his relationship to the young guildies who introduced him to her notice. Mrs. Phillips was quite awed by such an excess of good breeding; but her contemplation of one stranger was soon put to an end by exclamations and inquiries about the other; of whom, however, she could only tell her nieces what they already knew, that Mr. Denny had invited him to the guild, and that he was to have a raiding spot in the Meryton Militia. She had been watching him the last hour, she said, as he walked up and down the streets of Dalaran, and had Mr. Wickham been with them in the raid, Kitty and Lydia would certainly have continued the occupation, but unluckily he did not return and was now replaced by a few of the officers, who, in comparison with the stranger, were become "stupid, disagreeable fellows." Some of them were to PvP with the Phillipses the next day, and Mrs. Phillips promised to make her husband call on Mr. Wickham, and give him an invitation also, if the guild from Longbourn would come in the evening. This was agreed to, and Mrs. Phillips protested that they would have a nice comfortable noisy game of Arathi Basin, and a little bit of Strand of the Ancients after. The prospect of such delights was very cheering, and they parted in mutual good spirits. Mr. Collins repeated his apologies in quitting the group, and was assured with unwearying civility that they were perfectly needless.

As they spent time repairing in Dalaran, Elizabeth related to Jane what she had seen pass between the two gentlemen; but though Jane would have defended either or both, had they appeared to be in the wrong, she could no more explain such behaviour than could Elizabeth.

Mr. Collins on his return highly gratified Mrs. Bennet by admiring Mrs. Phillips's manners and politeness. He protested that, except Lady Catherine and her daughter, he had never seen a more elegant woman; for she had not only received him with the utmost civility, but even pointedly included him in her invitation for the next evening, although utterly unknown to her before. Something, he supposed, might be attributed to his connection with them, but yet he had never met with so much attention in the whole course of his life.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry for the epic fail in keeping up with updates here. I'll endeavour to do better in the future.


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